At present dental instruments are sterilised by either boiling, autoclaving or chemical means. Autoclaving is generally accepted as the most effective means available. Chemical sterilisation is time consuming and reserved generally for items which will not survive autoclaving.
The real and imagined problems relating to the transmission of AIDS and hepatitis B have focussed attention on the dental handpiece which often only receives a quick wipe with alcohol. It is generally accepted that health authorities will in the near future require everything which is used in a patient's mouth to be autoclaved.
The high cost of dental handpieces makes it important to have a fast turnover through the autoclave. At present, a good autoclave cycles in about 12 minutes. Therefore, if a handpiece misses one cycle, it will not be ready for use for 24 minutes. Understandably, such a down-time would be unacceptable in most busy dental surgeries.
The present invention seeks to overcome these problems by providing a simple, inexpensive steriliser with a rapid cycle time.